Electroplating device.



No. 796,872. PA TENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

- H. SGHUESSLER.

BLEGTROPLATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17. 1904.

ix fl w 6% M g WW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY SCHUESSLER, OF PERU, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR OF ONE-HALF TO EMILSTROEMER, OF PERU, ILLINOIS.

ELECTROPLATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed September 17, 1904:. Serial No 224,833.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY SGHUESSLER, a citizen of the United States,residingat Peru, in the county of Lasalle and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Electroplating Devices, of whichthe following is a'specification.

This invention relates to electroplating devices designed especially forcoating sheetmetal plates with a metal electrically deposited, and hasfor its objects to produce a comparatively simple device of thischaracter wherein the plates under treatment will be maintained in asubstantially horizontal position, thereby obviating buckling of theplates and insuring a uniform depositing of the plating material thereonand at the same time obviating contact of the plate with the electricalanode contained within the tank.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tank of such form thatthe amount of solution employed therein will be reduced to a minimum andone wherein the plates to be treated may be readily introduced into thesolution.

To these ends the invention comprises the novel features of constructionand combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a mechanismembodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a'vertical longitudinal sectionalelevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of a portion of thecarrier.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a tank having ahorizontally-inclined bottom 2, provided at its forward lower end with acomparatively high end wall 3, the tank being provided with side walls4:, the upper edges of which extend horizontally in a plane with theupper edge of the wall 3 rearward a suitable distance and thence inclineupwardly in a line parallel with the plane of the bottom 2, while to theupper edges of the inclined portions of the side walls are attachedcontact members or strips 5.

Arranged for longitudinal sliding movement within the tank 1 is acarrier 6 in the form of an open frame composed of longitudinal membersor bars 7 and transverse members or bars 8, there being connected withthe rear end of the carrier a contact member 9, having at its endscontact portions or fingers 10, adapted in practice to override thecontact-strips 5, the carrier 6 being intended to receive the plate 11to be treated and to support the same within the solution in the tank.

The contact-strips 5 have their front terminals upturned, as at 11, toproduce abutments with which the fingers 10 contact for limiting theforward movement of the carrier.

Arranged in the forward portion of the tank and parallel with theinclined bottom 2 are longitudinal cleats or supports 12, which when thecarrier is in active position contact at their rear ends with thecontact member 9 and which support an anode 13 immediately above thecarrier and the plate 11 thereon during the process of coating thelatter.

Connected with the anode 13 is a suitable wire or wires 14, and with thecontacts 5 a wire or wires 15, the wires 14: and 15 being extended toconnect with a dynamo, (not shown,) whereby an electrical current willbe established through the anode, contacts 5 and 9, and carrier 6 whenthe parts are in active position.

In practice the carrier will be moved to the dotted-line positionillustrated in Fig. 2 and at the upper portion of the tank for thereception of the plate to be treated and after receiving the plate bereturned to the full line position shown in said figure, with the plateresting beneath the anode and the various parts of the apparatus incontact, as above described, for establishing an electric circuitwhereby the metal contained in the solution in the tank will bedeposited upon and coat the surface of the plate 11, as usual in this'class of devices. It will be noted, however, that under my improvedconstruction the plate 11 will be maintained in a horizontally-inclinedposition substantially parallel with the anode, whereby the plate willbe prevented from buckling, thereby obviating liability of its coming incontact with the anode 13 and at the same time insuring a uniformdeposit of the coating upon the plate. Furthermore, it will be observedthat owing to the improved form of tank employed the amount of solutionnecessary forthe process will be minimized and that by employing thecarrier the plates to be acted upon may be readily introduced into thesolution. In attaining these ends it isto be understood that minorchanges in the details of construction herein set forth may be resortedto without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1.In a device of the class described, ahorizontally-inclined tank, ananode supported therein, a plate-receiving carrier movablelongitudinally of the tank and adapted to enter beneath the anode, andmeans for establishing an electric circuit through the latter and thecarrier.

2. In a device of the class described, a tank, longitudinal contactmembers carried by the Walls thereof,a longitudinally-movable carrierhaving a member arranged to move in contact With the first-named contactmembers, and an anode supported Within the tank in spaced relationto'the bottom of the latter and adapted to receive the carrier beneathit.

3. In a device of the class described, a tank having a bottom inclinedfrom the horizontal,

HENRY SCHUESSLER.

Witnesses:

HENRY REAM, J OSEPI-I J. FINNIG.

